with more live local news. >> don't forget to join us for nbc bay area news at 11:00. good morning, breaking overnight, a strong earthquake shakes the bay area. tremors lasting several seconds felt in san francisco and oakland, rattling buildings and nerves. but no serious damage or injuries. we'll have a live report. slammed, that massive winter storm targeting the entire east coast gaining strength overnight. heavy snow, high winds hammering the northeast right now after a historic snowfall blankets the south. >> it's knowing in florida. >> this morning, states of emergency declared, travel a nightmare with thousands of flights canceled, schools closed from georgia to maine. we've got the very latest. cease and desist.

president trump's lawyers threatening imminent legal action against his former chief strategist steve bannon after bannon accuses donald trump jr. of treason in a controversial new tell-all book. trump saying his former aide has lost his mind. this morning bannon's surprising reaction. all that, plus the favor grows, another night of no lottery winners, powerball and meg million megamillions reaching a billion dollars combined and the rush is on to buy tickets for the next drawings today thursday, january 4, 2018. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with savannah guthrie and hoda kotb. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, everybody. welcome to "today." it's a snowy one out east. 7:00 a.m. on the west coast, nice to have you with us. craig is here, hoda will join us in a few minutes. the snow is a big story out east

and out west, there's bigger story. >> there's a bit of a weather issue out west. >> mother nature we'll call it. an overnight earthquake centered along the oakland/berkeley border. miguel almaguer is there with the latest. >> reporter: the quake was felt dozens of miles away. it struck the city of berkeley and major cities were rattled. luckily no serious damage but many nerves were shaken. this morning's 4.4 earthquake jolted many in the bay area out of bed, striking at 2:30 a.m., the epicenter in berkeley rattled cities like san francisco and oakland. a sharp jolt and several seconds of shaking felt up to 40 miles away. >> just woke up to a massive earthquake, shook this whole building. >> reporter: the tremor shook up social media, hitting while most were asleep. there are no reports of serious damage or injuries, just shaken nerves.

a tremor of this size is certainly not catastrophic. local fire departments will respond to routine checks on public infrastructure, buildings, bridges and overpasses. minor quakes are common, something californians are accustomed to. the last devastating quake to bring san francisco to its knees was in 1989. a 6.9 quake crippled the city for months. today's jolt a reminder this region lives on shaky ground. because this earthquake struck just before 3:00 a.m., most people were asleep. experts say it serves as a good reminder to be prepared that all of us here in california live in earthquake country. craig, back to you. >> thank you, miguel. also on this busy thursday morning, a bitter rift appears to be widening between president trump and his former chief strategist steve bannon. at the heart of it, explosive accusations from bannon in a controversial new tell-all book on the trump white house.

nbc national correspondent peter alexander has the latest on that. peter, good morning to you. >> reporter: craig, good morning to you. based on my conversations with senior aides here, the president wasn't just stunned by bannon's claims, he was furious and he was disgusted. new this morning, the president is fighting back, his lawyers saying they're going to sue steve bannon. and within the last few minutes, nbc news has confirmed with this lawsuit -- this letter right now that the lawyers have sent a cease-and-desist letter to the book's author and publisher demanding they stop publication and issue an apology immediately. first, the fire now the fallout following a broadside by bannon. overnight, a lawyer for the president blasting bannon for breach ago non-disclosure agreement saying legal action is imminent but bannon says he backs his own boss. >> the president of the united states is a great man, i support him day in and day out. >> reporter: earlier, president trump's former top strategist

unloading in an exclusive new booked aing fu indding that thes meeting hosted by the trump's son don jr. was unpatriotic and treasonous. >> did the president's son donald trump jr. commit treason? >> i think that's a ridiculous accusation. >> reporter: bannon, who didn't join the campaign until two months after the meeting going further, insisting there's zero chance trump jr. didn't introduce his russian guests to his father. the white house adamant the president wasn't aware of the meeting until 2017 and the russian lawyer who attended tells nbc news she never saw the future president. still, bannon, who once dismissed the russia investigation as a "total and complete farce" told "fire and fury" author michael wolff the trump team should have called the fbi immediately. bannon also predicting special counsel robert mueller's investigators are going to crack don jr. like an egg on national tv. the president delivering a stunning smackdown writing in part "steve bannon has nothing

to do with me or my presidency. when he was fired he not only lost his job, he lost his mind." adding "steve doesn't represent my base, he's only in it for himself." it's an abrupt about-face. >> steve's been a friend of mine for a long time. i like steve a lot. >> reporter: axios says bannon still sees himself as trump's heir, even offering to run his reelection campaign, while making detailed plans to run for president himself in 2020 if trump does not." potentially pitting bannon against what he calls javanka, the nickname he called assange and jared kushner who he says have presidential ambitions on their own. wolff also reveals melania trump was reportedly in tears after her husband's improbable win. the first lady's office dismissing it all as fiction. "fiery and fury" reignites question about the president's treatment of women who work for him saying the president referred to 29-year-old aid hope hicks as a piece of tail and called the acting attorney general he would fire sally

yates a far more vulgar term. the book also suggests the president was so paranoid he might be poisoned he wouldn't let white house housekeepers touch his toothbrush. within source at the white house telling nbc news the president is is furious about these new reports. he abruptly dissolved his voter fraud commission, the commission formed to validate president trump's unsubstantiated claims that millions of people voted illegally in the last election, you remember that? the white house said many states were not being cooperative, that they didn't want endless legal battles. still this morning, president trump reupped his claim about illegal voting on twitter without any evidence to prove it. savannah and craig? >> peter alexander at the white house. thank you. we should mention michael wolff, author of "fire and fury" will be here for a live interview tomorrow morning on "today." his first interview talking about this new book and the firestorm surrounding it. that's tomorrow on "today." we turn to this monster winter storm in the east.

conditions are quickly deteriorating here in new york and across the region. snow and winds, of course, mean a travel nightmare coast to coast. we've got complete coverage. we'll start with al's forecast. al, good morning to you. >> good morning, guys. we are watching a storm intensifying rapidly. we talked about it yesterday, bombogenesis where the storm intensifies, drops its pressure 24 millibars within 24 hours. this thing has done over 45 millibars and you're starting to see real intensification. we've got lightning strikes going on just as the snow and rain come on shore so we're watching this system push through. as it does you're going to start to see a little bit of a -- almost an eye forming watching this so warnings up and down the east coast. we're talking about winter weather advisories inland, winter storm warnings along the coast and right along the coast we have blizzard warnings into friday morning and look at the snowfall. it's just about done in washington, one to two inches. philadelphia you'll pick up three to six, new york city

we've upped it six to ten, hartford will see about eight to 12 inches of snow, providence eight to 14 inches and look at boston. we're talking now 10 to 16 inches of snow. snowfall rates one to three inches an hour. we have whiteout conditions up and down the eastern sea board and the winds are really going to be intensifying. wind gusts of over 65 miles per hour with significant coastal flooding from massachusetts into maine. we're going to be looking at big problems, blowing and drifting snow and behind this, guys, the temperatures will be dropping precipitously. temperatures by this time in 48 hours will be well below zero. below 12 to 15 degrees the salt stops working on the roads so travel is going to be a nightmare. >> below zero naturally or with windchill below zero. >> these are air temperatures. >> all right. al, thank you. let's focus more on the problems being caused by this nasty nor'easter from here in the northeast all the way down to florida. nbc's catie beck is in norfolk, virginia.

catie, good morning. >> good morning, here in norfolk, we are under a blizzard warning. we are experiencing high winds up to 35 miles an hour and eight to ten inches of snow on the ground here in norfolk. that's very unusual weather for the south and causing a bit of chaos. overnight, blizzard conditions blasting through norfolk, heavy snow and high winds making travel treacherous, up to ten inches predicted before it's over. in savannah, georgia, officials are trying to determine if an amtrak derailment was weather-related. three cars slipped off the tracks while the train carrying 300 people was slowly backing into a station. a passenger reportedly said the conductor announced that a track switch was frozen. in south carolina, charleston residents waking up to dangerous conditions this morning after a near record snowfall. a nightmare on roads and bridges, officials warning everyone to stay home.

>> trying to walk but it's too slippery. >> reporter: throughout the southeast, the winter wallop bringing much of the region to a standstill. >> we were not prepared. >> reporter: shovels are in short supply, salt flying off the shelves. >> mayhem. >> reporter: and the rush is on for snow staples -- milk, bread, and water. selling out fast. >> i got all kinds of goodies. >> reporter: in the deep south, rare sights like snowmen in savannah and something you almost never hear -- >> it's snowing in florida. >> reporter: tallahasse getting its first measurable snow in nearly 30 years. >> whoa! what is this? >> wow! >> reporter: but for some -- >> it's beautiful. >> reporter: snow on palm trees creating a winter wonderland. and on the sliding scale, a definite 10 for kids a long time since southerners have seen a day like this. >> there was one when i was, like, three, but i don't

remember that, of course. >> now, already in southeast virginia there are 44,000 people without power, a significant concern at this time because those people don't have heat during these frigid temperatures. this storm is supposed to make its exit out of the south heading north and getting stronger, craig and savannah. >> katie back in virginia, katie, thanks. as we mentioned for folks out west, it's another day of chaos for so many airports. thousands of canceled flights. nbc's tom costello covers aviation at reagan national. tom, good morning. >> good morning and good morning west coast. if you've ever flown into washington, d.c. airports you know this is unusual. hardly anybody here because so many flights are canceled up and down the east coast. contrast that, though, with charleston, south carolina, and look at the lines at the airports because they've already had five inches of snow in charleston, south carolina and as a result the runways are closed there.

system wide we've got 3100 flights canceled today. look at the flight aware misery map. as you would expect, the misery is in the northeast from maine down through boston down to new york, the major airports significantly delayed today. we'll look at cancellations and if you're flying into the east coast today, tomorrow or sunday you'll watch this today 73% of flights canceled at newark, boston, laguardia 65%, jfk 28%, philadelphia is out there as well. you probably don't worry too much about amtrak but amtrak affected as well on the east coast from georgia and the carolinas up into boston. stay nice and warm on the west coast, you'll be glad you did. >> not so much to worry about. thank you. tom mentioned boston. in boston, a snow emergency just went into effect where folks are bracing for a foot or more. that's where we sent dylan dryer this morning. dylan, what's the scene right now? >> reporter: the storm is

ramping up and the snow has been getting heavier over the last several hours and while we could see more than a foot of snow here, it's the wind and the cold on the backside of the storm that has new englanders most worried. >> we're facing our first big storm of 2018. certainly it's starting off with a bang. >> this morning, extreme winter weather has arrived, blinding blizzard conditions expected to pummel parts of the northeast on land and sea. >> freezing temperatures, boats icing up, steel breaking, people getting hurt. i mean, it's bad out there. >> reporter: millions in new england are going to take it on the chin with the storm expected to deliver its biggest blow in the region. >> please stay off the roads if you can. >> reporter: the powerful storm undergoing bombogenesis, a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure that rapidly intensifies the storm. >> i've lived in new england my whole life and sometimes i wonder, oh, my goodness. >> reporter: snowplows are also

on stand by. crews spreading sand and salt before the first flakes started flying. residents flocking to stores to stock up on supplies. >> snow brush, de-icer in the car, be try jumper, cables in case your battery dies. >> the intense cold and potential for power outages has officials stressing safety and patience. >> we're asking people to be careful, be safe, and be warm. >> now, we have a blizzard warning in effect until 7:00 this evening here in boston. for f there are power outage which is there will most likely be some with wind gusts around 60 miles per hour, staying warm will be the big concern. by friday and saturday the windchill will be at least 20 degrees below zero. it's going to get brutal around here. guys? >> dylan, thank you. al will have even more in a bit, including a look at the forecast for the west coast. meantime, a conductor injured in last month's deadly train derailment in washington

state filed a lawsuit against amtrak on wednesday and claims the rail company failed to provide a safe work environment. he was in the front of the train with the engineer at the time of the accident and now according to his attorney he suffered broken ribs, a fractured clavicle bone and internal injuries. in the meantime, a passenger who suffered multiple broken bones has also filed a lawsuit against amtrak. her attorney says it's the first of many passenger lawsuits related to that derailment. another record has fallen on wall street. the dow traded above the 25,000 mark for the first time. that milestone was reached shortly after the opening bell and it came five weeks after the dow broke through the 24,000 mark. technology and banking stocks posted the biggest games in early trade. nearly a billion dollars is up for grabs in the country's two big lottery games after no winning tickets were sold in last night's powerball drawing. the jackpot soared to $550 million.

the next drawing saturday night but you don't have to wait until then if you want to get the big money. megamillions stands at $418 milli million. that drawing is tomorrow night. this is the first time both jackpots have been over $400 million. every time i say "million" roker does -- "million." >>. [ as dr. evil ] can i get a fricking shark with a laser? [ laughter ] >> living in the 1990s. looking at wet weather from los angeles to central california into the pacific northwest. a lovely day, though, in l.a. a high of 73, 76 in phoenix, look for partly cloudy skies in denver. billings on the cool side, 36 degrees, plenty of sunshine, clouds in seattle and 47 ♪

double, double lovin' is what i'm gonna give to you and you will get double the lovin' every time i do gonna double your lovin', double your fun you get two for the price of one double your lovin', double your fun you get two for the price of one ♪ good thursday morning. right now at 7:18 we have some light rain falling across parts of the coastal areas. also from marin county down to pacifica, some spotty sprinkles as we go through the day, some light showers possible with some clearing in the south bay and the east bay and our high temperature in san francisco will reach up to 60 degrees, 57 degrees tomorrow. off and on showers, but it does all clear out in time for the weekend, some cool temperatures with highs only 50s and for the inland areas up to 61 degrees.

>> that's your latest weather. guys? >> thank you, mr. roker. coming up, much more on the monster storm plaguing the east coast, including creative ways to keep your home and car safe in the thick ice. it's a rossen to the rescue you don't want to miss. plus, the dangerous side of legalizing pot. why police in california say they're already struggling with the state's new laws. but first on a thursday morning, this is "today" on nbc.

coming up, ready to get fit? grab a friend. savannah and general that letting us in on their workout routine and show you some surprising benefits of buddying up. you look good there. >> the '80s aerobics called. plus, the oscar-winning stars of the "post," meryl streep and tom hanks, opening up about their new movie and what's being done to change the culture being done to change the culture in hollywood. ♪ hey! being done to change the culture in hollywood. ♪ bee to hive for that honey you know ♪ ♪ a sweet tasty bowl ♪ of that get up and go

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so next time don't half-wash it. downy and it's done. proud partner of the olympic winter games. our breaking news .. a 4-point-4 qgnitu 7:26 right now. i'm kris sanchez. that breaking news is that 4.4 magnitude quake that maybe you felt early this morning, gave a lot of folks a jolt. it struck at 2:39, centered near the claremont hotel on the berkeley/oakland border. usgs scientists talked about it this morning. >> so this is an area that commonly produces these earthquakes, about this magnitude, on the hayward fault and this is a reminder that we live in earthquake country. >> we also talked with berkeley police, say say there were no reports of damages or injuries but they did get a lot of concerned calls. you can see the seismograph on your screen. we had viewers who felt it as far south as santa cruz and morgan hill.

meteorologist kari hall, you didn't feel it, we felt it in san jose, though. >> a lot of people will be talking about that as they head out for work today. also talking about the wet weather we have had recently around the paris. it's been so long since we have had a good soaking. left with light showers as you go out for your drive this morning. we will have a pretty good chance of rain, especially for the north bay, a few spotty showers for the peninsula and south bay heading into the east bay as well, but those areas will stay mostly dry until we get the approach of a cold front that will bring you much heavier rain as we go into tonight as well as early tomorrow morning, that may impact the commute. how is the commute now looking around the bay area, vianey? we are still feeling issues along the san mateo bridge, expecting some delays along westbound, you know, 92, that lane was originally blocked near the toll plaza. chp has updated that, looks like they have cleared that off to the side and our bridge drive times are looking much better now. still no metering lights on at the bay bridge. westbound 80 towards the bay bridge, ten minutes, westbound

82 towards the san mateo, 13 minutes. more local news coming up for you in half an hour.

we're back at 7:30 on this thursday morning, january 4th, 2018. snowy day for the east coast. you're looking at the front lawn of the white house. similar scene farthest up the coast, right next to us in central park in new york city, where the snow and winds are intensifying. it's happening all up and down the east coast. >> looks pretty right now, but definitely a big story. it's where we begin with a check of the headlines. >> winter woall wallop. >> it's starting off with a bang. >> freezing cold temps blast the east coast as the nor'easter

targets the northeast after leaving the frozen south in its wake, cancelling thousands of flights and closing schools. >> blizzard warnings from virginia up to parts of maine. near hurricane force winds. cease and desist. overnight, a lawyer for the president blasts steve bannon for breaching a non-disclosure agreement, warning legal action is imminent, after bannon described that now infamous trump tower meeting hosted by the president's son, don junior, as unpatriotic and treasonous in a new book. >> did the president's son commit treason? >> i think that is a ridiculous accusation. safe and sound. a pair of young sisters who vanished from their texas home last week after their mother's suspicious death are found safe in colorado. a suspect now in custody. >> many, many hours went into ensuring that these girls were found safe. look out below. a nearly 20,000 pound chinese space station now falling back to earth. experts calling its path

uncontrolled. warning it's nearly impossible to predict where the debris will land. and lending a hand. a milwaukee city bus driver helps a woman in labor on to her bus, staying with her until the ambulance arrives. today, thursday, january 4th, 2018. >> wow. >> good deed. >> remarkably calm under pressure. >> right. we move to the special series we've been doing on california's green rush. the legalization of recreational pot. it's creating new issues for police, as you might expect. one of the most serious, the jump in the number of people who are stoned behind the wheel. nbc's gadi schwartz with the story on that. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. for cops here, the message is simple, just because pot is legal in california doesn't mean it's all of a sudden a marijuana free for all. they say you'd be surprised at how many people are already high out on the roads. officers fear the new law is only going to make things worse. undercover deputies on a mission

they know all too well. raiding an illegal marijuana dispensary they busted three times before. >> this is an unpermitted, unauthorized marijuana dispen dispensa dispensary. >> reporter: inside, jars full of buds and candy edibles. before california's new law, these were illegal narcotics. this week, they're legal to have but not legal to sell without permits. pot shops are popping up all over los angeles selling weed, while licenses haven't been issued. >> it's not just this place they've busted. they've busted a place across the street. and one a few doors down over and over and over again. >> reporter: while on the streets, detective percy says he's bracing for more traffic crashes and deaths. >> the death rate will go up from medicinal and recreational marijuana. >> reporter: marijuana deaths doubling since pot was legalized

in colorado. >> we need to educate them on the dangers. >> reporter: there is no breathalyzer for pot, and no set limit on how much thc you can legally have in your system and get behind the wheel. instead, officers use field sobriety tests, often administered by drug recognition experts looking for clues. >> blood pressure, pulse. >> reporter: in this county with a population of more than 10 million, the experts are in high demand. >> we have approximately 15. >> reporter: how many all together do you think you'd need? >> take all the stations -- >> reporter: the sheriff says it's not just the stoned drivers on the roads. he's worried about a black market they've already seen growing. >> the gangs are still going to be involved. the cartels are still going to be involved because there's literally billions of dollars in this business. >> reporter: for those illegal dispensaries, the sheriff's department says most of them are back up and running within days

of being raided, including one they say they busted that reopened within a matter of four hours. back to you guys. >> wow. gadi, thank you. time to get a check of the all-important weather today. everybody is tuning in for this, al. >> we are going to be looking at probably some of the coldest air of the season so far. as this polar air just spills down from canada. some of it being pulled in by this storm system. 115 million people at risk for wind chill warnings and advisories. wind chills from 15 to 40 degrees below zero. international falls, the only places not being affected by wind chill. their air temperature is minus 33 but it is calm. the wind chill is minus 33. good for you. but look out. tomorrow, we're expecting temperatures still in the frigid zone. 13 in chicago. cleveland, 14. 20 in burlington. roanoke, 26. here comes the brutal cold over the weekend. the morning lows, bangor, 14 below. that's the air temperature on

sunday. philadelphia, minus 3. raleigh, 9 above. in chicago, on saturday, you bottom out at minus 5. so it is going to be rough. these are probably the records we're going to be looking at. and that bitter cold will continue to hang in there. freeze warnings today as far south as we get to the good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. some spotty light showers, especially along the coast today. in san francisco along the peninsula and into the north bay, some scattered sprinkles to start out, but look at this beautiful is up rise as we start out the day in san francisco. we will at times have some clearing, especially in the south bay, with a higher chance of rain, some heavier downpours moving in late tonight into early tomorrow morning. all of that does clear out in time for saturday and sunday with partly to mostly cloudy skies. highs in the mid to upper 50s. for the inland areas expect a high of 64 today and showers tomorrow with mostly dry weekend and more showers next week. by the way, international falls

just five miles from frostbite falls, the home of rocky and bullwinkle. >> we get it, why is it called frostbite falls. we get it. the lawsuit over taylor swift's "shake it off" has the superstar firing back this morning. jenna and i put the benefits of a workout buddy on full display. >> i want to see the grapevine. a candid conversation with the cast of "the post," including meryl streep and tom hanks. they take on what's been happening in hollywood. first, jeff is bringing the cold and snow with a special rossen to the rescue. >> good morning, guys. we're out in the storm, and we have simple hacks to protect your car and your home. did you know using simple cooking spray in the house can make your life easier? plus, you can't find rock salt at the stores, they're sold out? no problem, guys. we have a homemade potion, stuff around the house, to be de-eisser fluid new puppy? new food, but there's so many choices! at petsmart, we have the largest in store selection of

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we are back. a new rossen to the rescue as this monster winter storm is hammering the east coast as we speak. >> this morning we're talking about how to protect your car and your home from the shnow an the ice. jeff rossen is on eastern long island. he's got some simple hacks. hey, jeff. >> hey, guys. good morning. we're out in the storm. we have a lot of tips to get through. this is all cheap, inexpensive stuff you have laying around your house that you can use to survive this storm. let's get right to it. i want to start with protecting your car. did you know kitty litter can help protect your car? we're not talking about any kitty litter. silica crystals. you want it to look like this. blue with white crystals. that kind of cat litter. believe it or not, it absorbs moisture. take some random socks you have laying around the house -- i know you have plenty of old socks -- lathem doy them down, kitty litter inside and tie the top. get on in here. it absorbs moisture so you can

stick it in your dashboard and it'll defog the windows quickly. if you don't want to be weird by your friends, stick it under your seat. this stuff is so powerful to absorb moisture, it'll actually work for days to defog all of your windows, which is really, really cool. here's something else you can do. regular cooking spray. pam, any of the brands. cooking spray. you know how sometimes you can't open your door when it ices up and it's been parked overnight or in a parking lot? that's because water is getting in and freezing on the rubber se seam, and that's why you can't open it. before you park your car overnight, take some cooking spray, spray it right on the rubber seam like this. all around just like this. regular cooking spray. take a dish towel and wipe off the excess. that will create a barrier and a lubricant so you'll be able to open your door. let's keep on going. here's something else i did overnight. this is snow, by the way. i put a regular towel on here from your bathroom. no snow or ice on the

windshield. nice and easy. something else, i'll run through these. you have these boots, right, ladies? they're not waterproof. you can waterproof boots, shoes, sneakers, with wd-40. we dad says it's good for everything. spray it all over. let it dry. it creates a barrier, a seal. believe it or not, it makes shoes waterproof. here's something else. these are the last few bags i got in the store last night. guess what? you don't need it. bucket of hot water. a little bit of dish soap. a little splash of rubbing alcohol like that. mix it all together, guys. mix it together like that. done. you have your homemade de-icer fluid. you can put it on your pathway, and this will melt ice during the storm or after the storm. it melts it with the chemical reaction. i'll run inside for a couple quick ways to protect your home. we're inside now.

seran wrap. who doesn't have it, right? put it on your windows. used some double sided tape. it keeps the cold air out. it keeps the warm air in. my cameraman, sam, actually did this at his house. makes a huge difference. it'll save you hundreds of dollars on your utility bill. final one, guys. i love this. fireplace. when you use the fireplace, open the flew, obviously. when you're not using it, get in here like this and close the flew. so much cold air gets into the house through the flew. when you're not using it, close the flew, experts say, and it'll save you money and keep your house warm, as well. i'm done. >> jeff, that's awesome. >> amazing. how does santa get down if you close the flew? that's my only question. >> after christmas so we're good. >> jeff, that's awesome. great tips. >> he's like macgyver.

>> the towel, genius. >> fascinating. thank you, jeff. let's head over to carson. that's hard to beat, my friend. >> just move to florida, too, and stay warm. one way to do it. the big freak out coming up over pumping your own gas make something for dinner. but some of us make something much more. mom would be proud. with blue apron, any night is a chance to see what cooking can do. fast like stop staring atcaps help youthe clock fast,st, like stop worrying about your boss fast, like wow, you're already asleep fast. when life keeps you up... zzzquil helps you fall asleep in as little as 20 minutes.

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welcome back, everybody. here's a question, why do you think anyone would panic about having to pump their own gas? that is a question that carson daly is addressing in the orange room. >> oregon introduced a new law for people to pump their own gas. they actually had banned people from pumping their gas because of, a, safety concerns, and also to protect the jobs of gas station attendants. while it may seem normal for you, me and most americans, this freedom of pumping gas is causing concern for oregon residents. let's look at social media. sandy writing, i don't know how to pump gas. i'm 62. mike wrote, i had to do it in california while visiting my brother and almost died doing it. this is a service only qualified people should perform. samantha adds, i've deployed with the army, worked as a nurse in jail. none of these scare me as much

as the thought of pumping fuel in oregon. most americans, obviously, not scared to pump gas, but some prefer not to do it. we asked, how do you prefer to fill your car's gas tank. overwhe overwhelmingly, you handle it yourself. 84%. 16% might be oregon and new jersey. we're not sure. most of the country is in luck because new jersey now stands as the only state that does not allow people to pump their own gas. one might assume, guys, the sales of electric cars in oregon could skyrocket. >> exactly. people are like, forget it. i'm not going to learn now. >> why bother? >> do you have to plug in your own car? >> carson, thank you very much. ahead, much more on how people are coping with this massive winter storm and how long is this all going to last. meryl street and tom hanks of "the post" pay a visit to studio 1a. first, we have your local news. better, faster" by daft punk is heard throughout.) (sound of typing) (sound of exhaling)

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good thursday morning. right now it's 7:56. we are getting a chance to dry out from the heavy rain we had yesterday evening, still some spotty light showers linger along the coast and we are going to have some clearing in the south bay, while we will still have a chance of some spotty light rain in the north bay and areas north of the golden gate bridge, for the most part today we will have partly cloudy to mostly cloudy sky. as we go into tonight another round of heavier rain will start to develop and that will continue into early friday morning, a very soggy friday morning commute that could linger into the afternoon commute for parts of the south bay as this cold front starts to push its way to the south. as we go into the weekend all of this moves out with some drier weather, some cooler temperatures. san francisco will reach into the mid 50s and there will be another chance of rain in the forecast for tuesday into wednesday of next week. let's get an update on the commute now from vianey. we're definitely starting to see some delays. a wide look at the bay area you can see we have a couple

fender-benders, but right now chp is reporting a crash along southbound 101 just after willow. it appears the shoulder is blocked, you can see that the speed sensors are already picking up slowing there. we're also seeing traffic starting to recover along the san mateo bridge after an earlier crash right near the toll plaza it was blocking one of the lanes. that since has been removed. a quick look at the bay bridge, though, this is kind of a different sight, it's thursday morning, we are in the middle of the morning commute and the metering lights are off. thanks, vianey. happening now a lot of folks around the bay area will be talking about nature's early morning wakeup call, that moderate 4.4 magnitude quake that provided a jolt around much of the region. the center was there on your map in berkeley on the oakland border near the claremont hotel. not a lot of extensive damage, you can see some things fell off store shelves, that's a safeway store in san leandro. it did strike at 2:39 this morning, the usgs says it happened on the hayward fault

where quake this size where struck before. murder. how long he could spend behind bars. and - i )ll be tracking a new rainstorm - moving in overnight. the impact it could have on your weekend plans.

it's it's 8:00 on "today" coming umm, nor'easter 2018. over 40 million americans hunkering down for a wint weather wallop, heavy snow expected in the northeast. historic snowfall in the south. thousands of schools cancelled up and down the east klose coast closed. we are live with the latest. plus, getting by with a little ep from your friends. >> examine! >> day three of our start today series has me and jenna partnering up at the gym for a different kind of workout. it just feels good. more fun together. that's the bottom line. >> love ya. >> how buddying up could be your

best bet. and post-production. >> do you have the papers? >> hollywood heavy weights, michel streep and tom hanks talk the post and how the story is as relevant today january 4th, 2018. [ music playing ] >> we're celebrating on the plazasopla plaza! . >> i'm 40, i'm fabulous and i'm freezing. >> we came all the way from belgium! >> all way from oklahoma. >> all way from oklahoma. >> good morning, everyone. welcome back to "today." it's snowing out there it's thursday morning, it's supposed to be getting it, we're going to get it t. south really has some

snow. >> we will get our boots on, we are getting it. getting side handled a little bit. >> the storm started i don't have night health pelting the east coast, wiping out trash and travel plans, schools closed from georgia to new england. our team coverage starts with katie beck in norfolk. good morning. >> reporter: hi, we are still under a blizzard warning here in norfolk, virginia. we are seeing wind gusts at 35 miles per hour. somewhere between 8 to 10 inches of snow on the ground here. this unusual winter weather is basically bringing the south to a stand still this morning. widespread school closures. business closure, highway, tin els, bridge, basically deserted at this hour, airport cancellations up and down the southeast. another major concern is storms battlinging the frigid temperatures without heat. >> that is something that crews are working to atres very

diligently as these temperatures fall here in norfolk. now, as we said earlier, this storm is going to pass through the south by mid-morning and head north and it is only going to intensify as it goes. savannah. >> all right. katie, thank you so much. the nation's largest school system here in new york city is among those shut down today. nbc news' craig mel ven is in central park where the wind and snow are starting to peck umm. hey, craig, good morning. >> reporter: and the temperature has dropped as well, hoda. it's now 23 degrees. i'd say roughly an inch or so has fallen so far. the wind gusts have started. they are expecting a 50-mile-per-hour wind gusts in and around parts of new york today. you mentioned the city's school system being shut down, school systems in connecticut and new jersey quickly followed suit. amtrak running on a modified schedule throughout the northeast and the majority of flights out of laguardia and out of newark international, those flights have been chance emed.

as can you see here in central park, though the runners, the dog walkers, that usually populate this park this time of morning, they've decided to sit this one out. but in addition to the wind and the snow, the big story is going to be the bone-chilling cold that follows. they are expecting single gijdi temperatures around the city. wind chills well belower is. >> reporter: hoda. >> craig, stay warm. thank you. let's turn to al now. he will tell us what to expect. >> guys, we were telling you yesterday how we thought this would intensify, create bombogenesis. it has to happen, it has to drop 24 millibars in 24 hours. it's dropped 23 millibars and moved closer to the coast. so we are seeing more effects inland, washington, d.c. up to albany, this will continue to track up to the north. right now, we've got blizzard warnings for parts of the mid-atlantic states from norfolk, atlantic city into new jersey for today and then

through tomorrow for new england. those blizzard warnings, from boston all the way up into maine. we're going to be watching this very closely, snow for the mid-morning, for the mid-atlantic states. new england, it will continue for you this afternoon into tonight and it will come to an end overnight. then that cold brutally cold air will start being drawn in behind this system. we are looking for anywhere from about 4-to- inches from snow from the del mar peninsula, coastal carolinas into the mid-atlantic states. then we will be expecting anywhere from one-to-two inches in d.c. three-to-six in philadelphia. new york, hartford connect will see about nine inches, portland will be the big winner 10 to 1514, boston 8 to have 12. we could see higher apples out of this thing. i have a feeling it may be an over achiever as we start to see the day wear on. >> all right, al, thank you so much. to politics now and the split

ween the president and his former strategist steve bannan is getting more hostile. overnight a trump lawyer sent ban an cease and desist letter warning of illegal action for allegedly breaching a fawn disclosure agreement brannon is quoted saying a 2016 meeting between donald trump jr. and russian operatioperatives was unpatriotic and treasonist. the president fired back waens wednesday, said when bannan was fired, he not only lost his job, he lost his mind. that's a quote. however, on his radio show last night bannan says he still supports the president and went as far as to call him a great man. michael wolff that wrote this book "the fire and fury" inside the white house will be here tomorrow for an exclusive live interview. with that we turn to hoda for the morning news. >> here we go, girl. we have been talking about the powerball the mega-millions jackpot. this is about a new jersey mom.

she won $5 million. she won it by accident. she went into a manhattan convenience store. she told the store she wanted a $1 scratchoff ticket t. clerk ripped off a $10 for life ticket. off the rom. she handed it to her. she felt bad, she said, okay, i'll buy it anyway, she didn't bother scratching it off a couple weeks, it was ache a lookmark in one of her books, eventual she did. she plans to take her family on vacation to the bahamas. >> i love that. >> a pleaser, oh, i feel bad, i'll take it anyway, look what happened. >> she was richly rewarded for. that i love it. lots more ahead, including why taylor swift wants a judge to shakeoff a lawsuit over one of her biggest hits. >> we'll show you what happened when savannah and jenna team up in the '80s buddy workout after

this. >> first, let's see what megyn has coming up. >> guy, do you think you can go for 12 hours a day without eat something eat awe want for 12 hours, don't eat anything for the other 12? our guest today explains why not only will that tack off weight, it can help reverse the aging process. we'll have that the top of the hour. >> sign us up. all that plus the stars of the "post" oscar winners meerl streep and tom hanks, a candid disclosure of their movie ahead. first these messages. artificial colors,

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>> we love when jenna is here. >> another thing we love, a good emoji. some of us communicate entirely by emojis. not all of them mean what we think they mean. this story is getting a lot of buzz online. emojis meaning something different. let's go to emojipedia. what do you think that means? >> sweating one. >> crying. >> sad. guess what it really means? relieved face. sweat dripping from the brow in relief. let's go to another one. what do you think this means? >> shooting star. >> rising star. >> means you're dizzy. >> what? >> don't what me. >> what? >> my stars when i'm diseazzy dt look like that. >> more like roger rabbit. >> tweeting birds. >> what about this one? >> clapping. >> high-five. >> hallelujah. >> jazz hands. >> maybe whatever. wh

>> what is it? >> openness and hugs. >> what? >> too philosophical. the last is crazy. this lady. >> who is she? people are tweeting me that. >> sassy. >> whatever, you. >> hey, i'm sassy. >> no. >> i don't think so. >> she is. this is true. she's information desk person. >> oh, okay. >> wait, what? >> the lady julie at amtrak who answers your phone. this got us thinking about there are emojis you wished existed that didn't. i said this before but i'll say it again. >> wait, what? >> draw the emoji you wish existed but doesn't. >> wow. >> i think that it is a total travesty that there is no white wine. >> there's no white wine? >> there's red whine but there is not white wine. it renders me almost mute. i love white wine. anybody? >> i wish they had an emoji for my mom's baklava. >> it's this.

smiley face. >> that's good. >> who is next? >> i'll go ahead. i really miss the texas flag. >> do they not have the texas flag? >> they do not. >> are you sure? >> you can look. i'm pretty sure. we in texas believe we are our own country. >> exactly. >> nervous laugh. >> carson, what you got? >> they have the horns for rock and roll but i miss a good, old fashioned, rock on. i'm going to party tonight. mohawk, all pumped up and ready. >> you look like a pumpkin. >> what happened to your teeth? >> it was a rough night. >> wow. >> by the way, there is a texas flag emoji. >> on the emojis? >> yeah. >> it must be new. >> oh, boy. al? >> i got the mischievous cloud. >> i thought it was the bombogenesis emoji. >> that's what it is. >> since there is a texas flag, what about a nice bowl of chips and queso? >> that's good. >> i would like that if that was

that. >> it is. >> carson, pop start. >> we'll start with taylor swift. the singer's lawyers asked a judge to dismiss a copyright lawsuit over her song "shake it off." specifically these lyrics. ♪ players gonna play, play, play, play ♪ ♪ haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate ♪ ♪ baby, i'm just gonna shake >> swift was sued in september by the song writers who wrote, pl pla playas gunna play. ♪ players gunna play >> swift's lawyers said it was a musical cliche that should be in the publiccepts of players play and haters hating is not a new concept. "will and grace" has a guest star, nick op opperman.

he's giving viewers a behind the ski scenes look. >> we lucked into the husband of one of our stars, nick . >> he used to be the guy on the set walking megan's dog. now nick is a star. >> were you not aware that i was sleeping with both of you? >> what? what? >> for more of the inside stage 22, head to today.com. you can catch "will and grace" tonight at 9:00/8:00 central here on nbc. ryan reynolds instagramed an epic throwback picture. the caption reads, happy new year, everybody. the point is, i used to style my hair with a blow torch. it drew comparisons. "save by the bell" or nick carter from "the backstreet boys." yes, jenna, a little of the beak. vanner be >> yes.

>> daly click. the audience at an orchestra performance noticed the conductor looked a little different. take a look. ♪ that is a t-rex conducting an orchestra. not shotgun yomething you see e. any guess at the song? >> theme from "jurassic park." >> yes. >> then he ate the wind section. >> why? >> why not? >> there's the song. famous song. john williams' score. now you can get the t-rex. >> i get it. okay. "jurassic park" and they said, be a t-rex. >> like darth vader doing one for "star wars." >> bonus, our friend charlie playing in the snow. >> oh. >> in south carolina. >> awe! >> isn't that a great shot of

charlie? >> yes. >> we miss him. in good stands with stacy and the crew. >> she's a great photographer. >> saw it this morning in the orange room. carry on, folks. carry on. >> over to you, al. let's take a look and show you what we have going on for today. look at some costal rain. northern california into the pacific northwest. temperatures nice and mild there. bitter cold making its way into the plains. freeze warnings all the way down into the gulf coast. of course, we're watching this nor'easter. mr. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> we are seeing some very spotty light showers still lingering across the coast right now. and for the most part, we are drying out from the heavy rain we had yesterday. there will still be a chance of rain as we go through the day. with some clearing in between. partly cloudy skies. by tonight, we'll see a little bit more coverage of rain, especially in the north bay. ahead of the cold front, we'll see an increase in rain and potential of some heavier downpours in time for tomorrow morning's commute. tomorrow morning, looks pretty

wet. that could linger into the afternoon. >> and that's what's going on around the country. you back to you. >> thank you, bombogenesis. now our special series, start today, family and friends. we want to help you reach your goals in 2018. this morning, the benefits of a workout buddy. i got my buddy right here, jenna. don't say we don't care about you. we are letting you see us workout and do our aerobics routine. we could not bar our cameras from capturing it. >> it's horrible. >> take a look. >> so my workout style is sometimes lazy. a little bit lethargic. >> i would also say money. she likes to moan. sometimes she moans and i want to moan. >> okay. >> once the adrenaline kicks in and i start to feel good, so i'm a little hesitant at the beginning and i finish strong, which i think is the way to do

it. what about your workouts? >> well, i would say a lot of times, i'm unmotivated. >> keep your abs in tight. >> my abs are in tight. >> i know if jenna says, we're going, then i have to show up. if i don't want to hear about it, then don't be the reason we didn't go. if i'm here, i'd say, i'm peppy. >> come on, jenna. j-e-n-n-a. >> there's clapping. >> come on. >> you do like the one clap. when we go around the world. >> come on, jenna. >> double clap, yes. i like to clap and dance and have fun. >> she's the cheerleader, but she never was. >> exactly. >> i like to move. i think savannah does, too. that's why we're good partners. neither one of us is particularly athletic, but we both like the feeling of moving, especially when it is done. >> we're evenly matched, so we are just as good as the other.

>> there's no competition. >> no. not at all. >> four, three, two, hold it up. >> is that not hard for you? >> it's hard for me. what do you think? >> you're not making any noises. >> we also sometimes just like to complain. together, loudly. >> exactly. until it's finished. >> i think having a friend to workout with makes a huge difference. first of all, it is more fun. >> just sit down. you'll feel a lot better. >> i'll try. >> just snap. >> jump rope in place. >> i don't like to go to the gym. i don't like to exercise. i almost never want to go. but if jenna and i are going together, it's kind of fun. i know we get to chat and catch up. sometimes we talk through the whole thing, which makes it go faster. >> every time i hear her clap, i'm like, one more. every time she hears me moan, same thing. >> by the way, it's a healthier version of a day thing, what

we'd really like to be doing, grabbing a cheeseburger or drinking. >> sometimes we get a glass of wine after the workout. >> afterwards. we try not to do that on mondays. >> we do still. it just feels good. >> yeah. >> it's more fun together. >> exactly. >> that's the bottom line. >> more fun. >> love you. >> that was hard. >> oh, gosh. >> well, you know what, there are a lot of benefits to going with your friend. we do have fun doing it. fitness trainer bob harper is here, author of "the super carb diet." he'll walk us through the benefits of the buddy workout. >> how much fun do the two of you have? >> we do it all the time. it is fun. >> when you have a workout partner, you're excited. we'll talk about accountability. >> yes. >> with accountability, those days like today, where you're thinking, oh, i don't want to go workout, your partner is going to be the one that drags you along. >> i asked her, are we working out today, and she said yes.

>> isn't that great? >> you guys have fun doing all that. >> we did. the accountability is the biggest thing. >> yes. >> it's the biggest one. >> what's our next one? >> the other thing is you're willing to try new things, is that right? >> willingness to try new things is another great one that i like because if you go to a new workout by yourself, you might be intimidated or nervous. if you're with your friend, all of a sudden, you guys can laugh about it. there's a little bit of a security there. >> i will say, savannah was an aerobics instructor. >> oh, i saw. when she did the grapevine, i was like, savannah. >> when there is a new dance move, she's willing to try the rodeo. i'm sometimes nervous about the rodeo. >> i don't know what the rodeo is. >> we can show you. we don't have time, but i do love the rodeo. all right. this is a good one for us. it is a little therapy session. >> yeah, like the times where you can get together with your girlfriend or boyfriend and be like, oh, honey, let me tell you what he said last night. >> yeah. >> it feels good, right? >> we work it out while we workout. >> it is important that you don't talk too much, is that

right? >> you don't want to talk too much, but it's kind of fun to get everything out. it's very cathartic. >> it is. >> i like that. >> i do, too. >> we talked about this, it's a healthier date. >> right. >> better than going for chips and queso. >> the social component is super strong because you meet up with people and it is not about going to a bar necessarily. >> yes. >> or eating the queso you're talking about, like your emoji you had, which i laughed about. but you know, you're getting together with your friends and doing something that's ben if i recall -- beneficial to all of you. >> we really got to be close friends just taking long walks. >> she told me she couldn't run because she had an injury, but really, she was pregnant. she was hiding things on the long walk. >> don't underestimate walking. walking is a great form of exercise. >> it feels good. you feel good afterwards. >> you're not beating up the body. >> absolutely. finally, you will train harder. >> all of a sudden, the competitive element could get in. you're beside each other and

being like, look what jenna is doing. i'll go harder and try to keep up or beat her sometimes. it's fun. the whole thing about having a workout partner is it is supposed to be fun and keep you accountable. >> i love it. >> it does. >> it does. bob, thank you so much. want to go to aerobics with us? >> yes, i'll go. i want to get the rodeo. >> we'll teach it to you. if you want extra support, join our private facebook group. it's kind of like a workout buddy. facebook.com/today health. ahead, a special steals and deals to help you eat right in 2018. we are on the program around here. then we'll chat with the oscar winning stars of "the post." meryl streep and tom hanks. should i )m ...

our breaking news .. a 4-point- good morning. it's 8:26. i'm marcus washington. our breaking news, a 4.4 magnitude quake that struck at 2:39 this morning. it was centered near the claremont hotel at the border of berkeley and oakland. usgs scientists say the quake struck along the hayworth fault. >> this is an area that commonly produces these earthquakes on fault and this is a reminder that we live in earthquake country. >> a reminder indeed. we spoke this morning with berkeley place. they say there were no reports of significant damage or injuries but they did receive a lot of calls from concerned people in the area. that quake was felt as far south as morgan hill and santa cruz. right now, we are tracking some minor accidents. >> they've managed to remain

fairly minor. swreering a couple of. we're seeing a couple of delays. reporting a traffic collision along northbound 880 right before marina boulevard. our speed sensors are starting to pick up delays as well. we're tracking another crash and this one's along southbound 101 right after willow. the should rear maer remains bl. heavy delays in that area. the crash we've been monitoring also seeing delays along southbound 101. everything else is good to go. >> i'll have another local news update in half an hour. okay mcdonald's.

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it's all about big values, jr. prices. ♪ hey, everybody. welcome back to the show. we are outside on the plaza. 8:30. there's snow up and down the east coast. it has arrived on our plaza. >> look at it. >> it's blowing sideways. we want to welcome everybody. by the way, that song you're listening to is called "finesse." it dropped at midnight. it's a remix of an older song with bruno mars. man, it is a good one. >> what does carson daly think? >> it's amazing. it has the '90s vibe of "fresh prince of dbel air." the video is great. it'll be your jam. >> where are the kids from the

york college of pennsylvania? >> whew! >> these guys were in line early. y'all were in line early. do you all have school spirit to show us? let's go on three. one, two, three. >> we got our spirit. woot woot yeah. yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. >> y'all are awesome. thank you. >> why don't we have a cheer? >> we have to do it every morning. >> we have to come up with something. coming up, our conversation with tom hanks, meryl streep and bob odenkirk. they star in "the post." we also talk about how to change hollywood for the better. two women at the forefront of the times up movement. we have america ferrera and monica with us. we'll chat with them momentarily. first, in her leggings -- >>ladies, we had a deal.

>> i forgot. >> i brought the leg warmers but went with boots. >> i'll tell you -- >> talk to us. >> look, you can hike them up here. >> very cute. >> i'm digging those. >> flash dance style. >> i kind of want those. >> i'm bringing them back. the meg warmers. >> i like it. >> pay me to use the words for a living. we're not talking about these at all. we are going to talk about, could you do it? could you eat 12 hours a day and not eat 12 hours a day, or ideally, only eat in an eight-hour window? >> if i was sleeping for the 12 hours, yes. >> they say you may be able to lose weight without dieting. also reverse the aging process, lower the risk of diabetes. we'll talk about how to do it and a woman who is doing it. you can fast three days a week. >> or cover yourself in leg warmers. now to the man of the morning. the man everyone is waiting for. mr. al roker.

>> here's another idea. you might wear pants. >> well, yes. >> those work out well, too. >> spoken like a man. >> anyway, let's show you what we have happening. our friends out west, you're not worried about snow but you are worried about a little rain, but you could use it, especially throughout los angeles and the pacific northwest. you're 10 to 20 degrees above average. out west, you are golden. we are looking at bitter cold though in the plains today. heavy snow here in the northeast. the freeze warnings continue down through the gulf. that costal rain from central california on up to the pacific northwest. mountains could see snow and mixed precip. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning, i'm meteorologist kari hall. we're tracking rain today, mostly light showers. light rain moving from san francisco and also into the north bay. as we go into the rest of the day, some isolated showers. while we will have some clearing, south bay looks dry

with the exception of a few spotty showers. the better chance of some rain late tonight into tomorrow morning. that will affect your friday morning commute. and that rain will be pushing from north to south into friday afternoon. >> don't forget, get the weather any time you need it. check out our friends at the weather channel on cable. can i go all the way around without falling? let's find out. we made it. whoa! >> he's fine. he's totally fine. thanks to our start today steals and deals series, the deal of the day, jill is here and will be every morning this month with bargains to help you reach your resolution goals. we're talking health, right? >> too bad we don't have shovels. but happy new year. the penguin random house cookbooks, the retail is up to $55. all best selling authors. ten cook book sets to choose from. the retail, $49.97 to $55.

the deal, $25 for the set, up to 55% off. >> awesome. and jill is going to be here, again, every day, once a day. you'll give us one steal and deal. we like it. see you tomorrow. if you guys have any questions, head to today.com. up next, we'll have a candid conversation with two of the leading women in the times up campaign to change the culture in hollywood. first, this is "today" on nbc.

welcome back to a snowy rockefeller plaza. in the wake of the metoo movement, prominent women in hollywood are joining forces to say times up. >> that's the name of a new coalition forced to address sexual harassment issues in the entertainment industry and actually workplaces nationwide. actress america ferrera was instrumental in the creation of this new campaign. and monica ramirez has been fighting sexual harassment as the president of the national farm workers women alliance. good morning to both of you. >> morning.

>> hi. >> here's an obvious question, but times up for what? >> times up on the behavior and the culture that makes women less safe in the workplace. and not just women but people of color, lgbtq community, disabled people and anyone else who is marginalized. times up on the abuse and exploitation and discrimination that too many people face in the workplace. not just in our industry, as you said, across all of our industries. >> that's what's interesting. monica, you are an organizer with the national farm workers alliance, and you actually reached out and wrote this open letter to the hollywood industry in the wake of the weinstein scandal and this new awakening. you offered your support. what does this all mean, to have women from totally different walks of life getting together? >> i think, you know, by us joining forces and coming together in the way they have, it demonstrates how much power we have, but also our commitment to making workplaces better across the nation and really our

world better. we made the decision to come forward and to send a letter of support because we wanted to ensure that women in hollywood and others who were coming forward didn't feel alone and they knew we stood with them in power. >> america -- >> i'm sorry, i want to say, to receive a letter on behalf of 700,000 women, women who put food on our supermarkets and tables, standing with us, it was a moment of a modeling of what we need to be doing in our larger society. it was such a signal to us that we couldn't do anything but respond. not just with words but with real action. one of the things we decided to do in our response was seed and fund a new legal defense fund, the times up legal defense fund, that will help men and women across all industries fight their sexual harassment cases with subsidized legal defense. we've raised over $14 million. >> wow. >> in the last couple days, we have received over $1 million in small, $5 donations.

it's incredible to see what's happening just with a simple message that times up. we've got to do something about it. >> america, you had a choice. you could have done what a lot of people are still doing, stand on the sidelines and say, good for them. i hope they fight on. why did you decide it was important to lend your name, your face, everything to this kind of a cause? >> it's not just me, hoda. times up is a group of hundreds of women. >> sure. >> inside the entertainment industry, across every discipline, coming together because it's no longer an option to deny what we know. we are not safe in our workplaces. it's not just about sex. this is about something larger. this is about power dynamics. it's about an imbalance of power that makes people unsafe. we need to start addressing it much wider than any one perpetrator, any one predator. it's about pay equity. it's about being safe in our jobs. it's about being able to access opportunity to rise up the ranks, where we're represented

in leadership. it's about so much. >> monica, to your point, it is interesting because you reached out to the hollywood actresses, in that industry, which you think of as a high-profile industry, and women who have a lot of power. yet, the focus here now through this times up campaign is for women who don't have the power. women just working in regular jobs. shift workers who might not have the resources. >> i think that the interesting thing about times up is that, yes, it's true that it is for women who don't have resources, but really it is for all of us. that's an important point that we need to keep reminding people about. you know, while people think that farm worker women are not powerful, they're very powerful and have been organizing for a long time around this issue. we have the experience, not just having suffered from this problem, but we have years of experience of organizing that we wanted to bring forward to support the women in hollywood who were coming forward. >> ladies, thank you. >> before you go, america, we heard your happy news, you are expecting. >> i am. >> congratulations.

>> thank you. all the more reason to get to work and start fixing the things that need to be fixed. >> you're beaming. >> know if it is a boy or girl? >> i might but i'm not telling. >> thank you so much, america and monica. appreciate it. ahead, meryl streep, tom hanks and bob odenkirk. we'll talk to the stars of the critically acclaimed movie "the post." first, this is "today" on nbc. welcome back.

as we mentioned, 2017 was a game changer year in the conversation about sexual harassment. especially in hollywood. one of the stars who has found her name in the headlines is meryl streep. it's largely because of her association with harvey weinstein. >> that's right. before the holidays and before she responded to this criticism from the actress rose mcgowan, i sat down with her, along with tom hanks and bob odenkirk, and we talked about the climate in hollywood in general, and why their new movie, "the post," directed by steven spielberg, is

so timely. >> do you have the papers? >> not yet. >> oh, gosh. oh, gosh. because you know the position that would put me in. you know, we have language in the -- >> yeah, i know the bankers can change their mind. i know what is at stake. >> meryl, tom and bob, good morning. >> morning. >> congratulations on your golden globe nominations. you were both nominated for your roles in this movie, "the post." you, bob, for "better call saul." >> this was your 31st golden globe nomination. this means more than all the other. >> finally broke 30, girl. we're all excited for ya. >> when you live to 109, this is nothing. >> each of the 31 is special in its own way. >> i would have guessed 37. i'm surprised it's only 31. >> the movie is getting great reviews. for something that took place 45 years ago, it feels like it

could have been ripped right out of a newspaper today. very timely. is that what drew you to it, meryl? >> i think that's certainly what drew steven spielberg to it. he felt the impetus of the moment, at this particular time, we're seeing our press is under siege. just even the notion of what the truth is, how much we do depend on the first amendment and the freedom and independence of the press. yeah, i think it was sort of something. but the film, the script was actually written much before this. it was written by liz hannah back when she thought that there would be the first female president. it was a different atmosphere, and it was more centered on the sort of gender issues. >> as the story goes, stepielbe sees the script in march of last year and fast tracks it. >> yeah. we started shooting in may.

we finished in july. hood -- he had it cut in august. >> i have to still shoot a scene next week. >> this is also the first time, meryl, you and tom have worked together. how is that possible? >> i can't sing. i was not in "mama mia." >> yeah. >> despite the auditions. >> i'm seven years older than tom so, usually, i'd be cast as his mother. hollywood rules. >> it makes it an interesting point because ben bradlee and kate graham have this interesting, respectful working relationship. >> they relied on each other very much to do their own individual jobs. empathy, understanding a long sense of their history, you can wrap it up and call it a love. they had a love for each other. it was the best version of it. >> bob, you play the reporter

who gets a copy of the pentagon papers, lest be friends at the "new york times" be mad at me, they had the story and ""washington post"" had to catch up. >> he made a side deal. it was demanded he take two copies. one he gave to a senator who read it into the congressional record two weeks later to make sure it went public. >> it was the first time a president tried to preemptively stop the presses. he got a judge to put an injunction on the "new york times" after they published for three days this great reporting. when that injunction came down, and the "post" found is source, ellsberg, they had a choice to make. whether or not to go against the court and nixon, and they

decided to go ahead. >> this week in 1971 dealt with an administration that wanted to keep its secrets. they did not want their lies to become printed in the press. part of the record. they were dealing with the legacy of vietnam as of 1971 that went back prior to world war ii. it also deals with the fact that kate graham became kate graham. that woman who had only been the daughter or the wife of the people who were in power. becomes the person of power. in a weird way, we hit the 2018 trifecta by way of this movie. >> you know, it is a human story. katharine graham, who we think of as this fierce and powerful woman, and what we see in the memoir is it was a dawning of confidence. >> it is located in a time that was very transitional in america. it was around the time that the first women appeared in broadcasting. it was a very big deal when

barbara walters was on the "today" show and broke in. people were disgruntled. a woman delivering the news? it didn't seem right. >> the savannah guthrie of her day. >> that would be -- i think barbara walters was the barbara walters of her day. >> all the same. >> you know, as you said, it raises a lot of issues that are timely. the issue of women certainly is. we are in a moment in our culture, obviously, where the sexual harassment allegations are being brought to light. things are being brought into the open. it started in your industry, in hollywood, with harvey weinstein. i mean, how do you get your arms and heads around that? do you feel, meryl, that this has really changed things? >> i think it's an ongoing change. i don't think it started with harvey weinstein. we're seeing it in the military. we see abuse in the church. we see it in every part of our

culture. and the difference now is that people are willing to step forward. what's important, i think, is that we have some ability to measure the nuance of these different infractions. >> do you feel -- >> that murder is not shoplifting. >> do you feel that that's a problem, the nuance? >> if we don't pay attention to the subtleties of these different allegations, we risk backlash. that won't be good for anybody. but i think women are not going back. speaking for my industry, we're not going back. it will, i think, precipitate a change at the top, which is where it needs to be. >> have you been surprised, tom and bob, how fast things have seemed to change, almost overnight? >> yeah. i think without a doubt, it means there was plenty of water on the other side of the dam.

it's a difference between the subtle innuendo or understanding of, hey, be careful there, that's how things work, to, at last. it's shining a flashlight behind the couch. there's a lot of dust there. >> i hope we don't just drop this subject but get deeper into it and help people understand, young people understand how to behave, what's right and what's not right, and how to make amends. i think what's interesting about "the post," as a viewer of the movie, it's the internal story for katharine graham. her journey to own her power, which has nothing to do with this bigger societal thing, but it is a woman struggling inside herself to step forward. >> definitely raises a lot of issues that are very timely and very relevant. congratulations to all of you on "the post." for journalism geeks such as myself, it was very enjoyable. appreciate it. >> thanks, barbara. i mean, savannah.

>> i wish. >> that's nice. >> our conversation happened a few weeks ago. "the post" playing in select theaters now and opens next friday nationwide. it's up for several golden globes. the golden globes are actually this sunday on nbc at 8:00. carson, you're out there. >> al, too. >> and sheinelle. >> we'll sit around and watch it in our sweats. >> we'll be back in a moment. first, this is "today" on nbc.

woman: so, greg, it's a lot to take in. woman 2: and i know that's hard to hear, but the doctors caught it early. hi, blake! my dad has cancer. woman: and i know how hard that is to hear. but you're in the right place. man: and dr. pascal and her team, they know what to do. they know what to do. the doctors know what to do. so here's the plan.

first off, we're going to give you all... (voice fading away) welcome back. that look at central park, 23 degrees. winds blowing. it'll get worse before better, says al roker. nashville stars will join myself and jenna later. we have our ambush makeoverins, where we get two people off the

plaza made up. first, megyn kelly coming up next after a check of your our breaking news .. a 4-point-4 magnitude quake thatst good morning. it's 8:56. i'm marcus washington. a breaking news this morning. a 4.4 magnitude quake that struck at 2:39 this morning. it was centered near the claremont hotel on the border of berkeley and oakland. a lot of people felt this around the bay area. we saw video postfed items knocked off of shelves at a grocery store you can see right there. the usgs says that quake struck along the hayward fault. there's also a small possibility

that this could lead to a larger quake. >> looking historically at all the earthquakes that happened at california, about 5% of the time, earthquakes are followed by larger earthquakes. there's a low probability but there's some probability this is a foreshot to bigger event. >> this morning we spoke with berkeley place. they say there was no reports of significant damage or energies. they did receive many calls of concern. we'll have a live report for our midday newscast. we're also post links to video and more details about this morning's quake on our twitter feed. the bay area is getting the chance to dry out from yesterday's storm but meteorologist kari hall says another wave is on the way. it should arrive later today. get more on our alert at nbc bay area app. murder.

how long he could spend behind bars. and - i )ll be tracking a new rainstorm - moving in overnight. the impact it could have on your weekend plans.

good morning, everyone. good morning. welcome, everybody. i'm megyn kelly. thank you for being here on this cold and snowy day in new york city. we begin this morning with pot in america. the legalization of pot for recreational use. we have some supporters. it's on the rise in the uned states. it may or may not be a good thing. today, more than half, 29 of the 50 states, already sell marijuana for medical use. medical use. california voted to legalize it for recreational use in 2016, making it one of six states to legalize recreational pot. now, this spark was quick to light.